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Thursday, November 19, 2020
Third Avenue Business Improvement District - EAT ME. DRINK ME. // An evening with Coqui the Chef
Mayo de Blasio on the State of the City and COVID-19 Stats
Mayor Bill de Blasio: We're going to talk about several things today, but we should start by noting the most serious news of the day – that now, unfortunately, we now know that over a quarter million Americans have lost their lives during the COVID crisis, and it's important to pause and reflect on that. A quarter-million of our fellow Americans gone just in the course of months, and this crisis has been so staggering for all of us, and now a second wave bearing down on us in the city and the need to fight back, the need to have tough restrictions so clear now. We'll talk about that, and we're also going to talk about the things we have to keep doing to learn from this crisis and to recover, and to recover and have a better and fairer society, when we do. There's so much to talk about in terms of the disparities that have come up in this crisis and the things we have to do differently, so we're going to talk about that in a moment as well.
But let me talk first about our schools. I want to say at the outset, all the families, to all the parents, to all the kids, that it’s a tough day. It was a tough decision yesterday. It was not something anyone could possibly be happy about, and I do want to say how much I feel and understand the frustration of parents that they want – so many of them want their kids to be in school, and that's what I fought for in opening our schools back in September against all odds. We will bring our schools back. This is the most important point. We will bring our schools back, but we're going to have to reset the equation. What's happened just in the matter of days, and you see it in the indicators we go over each day, is something is changing, it's changing rapidly in the city. We certainly see what's happening around the country. We've got to reset the equation. We have been safe – New York City has been extraordinary. The way we came back from being the epicenter of the crisis to being one of the safest places in the country, we got to keep it that way. We got to fight back the second wave. Our schools have been safe, extraordinarily safe. We got to keep it that way. We can't just stand pat with a strategy that worked before when conditions are changing, we need to reset the equation. We need to come up with even more stringent rules to make schools work and testing is going to be absolutely crucial.
A lot of people's frustration emanated from the fact that they thought there was another kind of disparity. They looked at schools closing, and a lot of people say, what about restaurants? Well, the Governor made clear yesterday that it's just a matter of time before indoor dining will close and other types of things, gyms, other things – anyone who heard those words, orange zone yesterday, the orange zone rules are clear and New York City will, before long, be in that orange zone status. I talked to the Governor at length about this yesterday, and that means those restrictions are coming. So, for everyone who honestly might feel somehow a little better, if they knew that indoor dining was going to be closed or gyms were going to be closed. I'm sorry to tell you that for the sake of those business owners and everyone who loves those gyms and loves indoor dining, it's just a matter of time. It's very likely to be in the next week or two, and I think you're going to see that across the board, that there's going to have to be a lot of tough choices to move us forward.
But with schools, I am absolutely convinced we can work with all the stakeholders, work with the state, get to new tough standards and reopen, and we're going to let you know, in the next few days, what that looks like, what that schedule is, what it's going to require of all of us, because it will require all of us to participate, and parents, I'm going to tell you right now, we're going to need you to play an active role in helping us reopen schools, and that starts with getting those test consent forms in. A lot of parents have answered that call. I'm going to emphasize again, if you're someone who says, I really want schools open, the next thing you have to do is file that test consent form immediately. You can do that online. Get that in, so we know your child's ready to be tested because testing is going to be a crucial part of where we go from here to get schools open again.
In the meantime, we will provide support to families in a variety of ways. Obviously Learning Bridges, our childcare program will be open. That's on a priority basis, starting with essential workers and families in greatest need, but that will be available to help a lot of families. Devices for our kids. We've been continuing to provide free devices for all the kids who need the technology they need to learn. Any child who does not have a device or it's not working, or the service isn't working, you just have to call 3-1-1 and we will get you a device or a new service as quickly as possible. In many cases that just takes a day or two.
For families that need food, and as this crisis unfortunately deepens again, and the federal support hasn't come, the stimulus hasn't come, a lot of families need those grab and go meals from our schools, they will be provided continually at our schools, even as schools are closed for a period of time, the food service folks – I want to thank the food service workers who are doing amazing work – they will continue to provide food for families who need them, and that will be free, of course, so that will continue, and as the Chancellor always says, all children are learning today and we'll continue to learn in this all remote phase, and we will continue to do this work to get our schools back as quickly as possible.
So that's the picture with our schools. Let's go back to the question of how we're going to respond to this crisis more broadly and how we're going to come back from it, because remember we do have – every day we've got better and better news on vaccines. We have a new administration in Washington. That's going to totally overhaul the approach to COVID and make it, I think, much better and clearer. We're ready to distribute the vaccine right now in the city, right? As we speak, we're ready. So, we have to turn our focus constantly also to that recovery that come back, but how to make it a fair comeback. We can't repeat the status quo that was in New York City. That's not going to help us. We got to do something different, and COVID uncovered extraordinary disparities, but they weren't just healthcare disparities. Let's be very, very clear about it. The racial and economic disparities go a lot farther than just health care. They go to the fundamental reality of how wealth is distributed in the city in this nation, and if you talk about structural racism, just follow the money. It's quite clear, no matter how hard people of color have worked, they do not get their fair share of the wealth they create, and that's something we have to do more to change in this city, in this country, and that's what our city task force – we've had great leaders in all of our city agencies that have focused on this issue. Leaders of color in every city agency who will have used their experience, their creativity to come up with new solutions, our Deputy Mayor Phil Thompson, and First Lady Chirlane McCray have led the way with the task force coming up with a variety of new approaches, and one of the ideas that is most powerful is what we term as equitable ownership, meaning making sure that there actually is a kind of redistribution of wealth that will change people's lives more profoundly, and that means that people of color get to own in this society, that they get a much greater share of the pie and what is rightfully theirs. That hasn't been the case, and that's why initiatives like special approaches to supporting minority and women owned businesses were created years ago, but they haven't done enough and we need to go a lot farther, and the way to make the MWBE concepts come alive is to up the ante all the time. We've been doing that for years, but we need to do it again, and when it comes to the ownership stake that we need women and minority owned firms to have one of the areas to look at is in affordable housing, because there's going to be a lot of investment going forward in affordable housing. One thing the city will never stop doing is investing in affordable housing. There's a lot of work to be done. There's a lot of construction to be done, and firms led by people of color need many more opportunities to have a piece of that pie. So, our Department of Housing Preservation and Development has been leading the way with a new approach, and I want to thank everyone there for their creativity, their energy, and here to talk about what equitable ownership will look like in affordable housing is our Commissioner for HPD Louise Carroll.
Commissioner Louise Carroll, Department of Housing Preservation and Development: Thank you, Mayor de Blasio, and thank you also to Deputy Mayor Thompson and the First Lady for your leadership on the Task Force for Racial Inclusion and Equity. Lots of businesses have grown in the city from startups to wealthy companies. Many of them grew by doing a lot of work with New York City government yet rarely have we seen minority and women owned firms, MWBEs get this kind of opportunity for success. This is wrong, and this administration is working very hard to change that. Minorities and women-owned businesses, they form 85 percent of the population. If they don't prosper, the city doesn't prosper. Most MWBE firms are part of Black and Brown communities that have been hardest hit by COVID. These firms hire and train workers in their neighborhoods. Many workers have lost jobs due to this pandemic and these workers need help right now. So, dollars spent with MWBEs, when will enable people to get back on their feet. This is part of how New York City will recover from this pandemic. More than that, money spent with MWBEs will help repair the damage caused by decades of exclusion of people of color from business opportunities and jobs, and even more, more than that, when MWBEs and community not-for-profits own property, it is harder to dislocate them from their community or gentrify them out of their community. That is why starting now, HPD, when we award sites for affordable housing development, we will only consider teams that have an MWBE or not-for-profit partner, and that partner, must own at least 25 percent of the project. In the past and MWBEs and not-for-profits have been included in development teams, but when it comes to the money, it just wasn't there. We are putting an end to that. From now on and MWBE or a not-for-profit must both have a meaningful ownership stake in a project as well as a financial stake in a project.
New York City is a great place. It has helped so many people from every corner of the country and indeed every corner of the world, people like me, get a foothold in their business or launch their careers. The people in this city have gone on to help others. They've gone on to invent things and build things and are admired everywhere, but it all starts with opportunity. When we open the doors of opportunity to all people, we unleash a flood of talent, and what that does is benefit all of us. We know that many people in the city see real estate development as something that happens to them as opposed to something that's happening for them. We're determined to change that in our housing policies. Our new policy is effective immediately. It will be in a request for proposals that HPD is issuing tomorrow for the development of vacant land in the Bedford-Stuyvesant part of Brooklyn. But this is just the beginning, there's more to come, and I thank you again, Mr. Mayor, for your leadership on this important issue.
Mayor: Thank you so much, Commissioner, and Commissioner, you said a lot of important things there, but I want to harken back to the point you made about the city's greatness and who contributes to our greatness and who gets recognized and who doesn't get recognized. If I remember correctly, your family's originally from St. Lucia?
Commissioner Carroll: Yes, sir.
Mayor: And you know, you came to this city and brought your skills and talents, and now you're creating affordable housing for all New Yorkers. This is the New York story – that everyone has had opportunity, but not everyone has had equal opportunity, and that's what we need to fix, and actually making sure that the money is distributed fairly and putting tough rules in place to do it. It makes a world of difference. So you heard from the Commissioner – her story is an example of exactly what we want to foster and support, and you heard about the new approach, but now I want you to hear from someone who can tell you what it means for the businesses that will have the opportunity to grow and to reach out to their communities and bring more and more people into that opportunity, and it really is important to understand on a human level, what it means every time a minority and women owned business gets a contract. What literally happens to create empowerment in that community. So here to speak about it, and her story is one of great success. She is the CEO and founder of RF Wilkins Consultants, Francilia Wilkins Rahim, we welcome you.
Francilia Wilkins Rahim, R.F. Wilkins Consultants: Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you for having me. I also want to thank the First Lady and Deputy Mayor Thompson for all of the amazing leadership on the Task Force of Racial Equity and Inclusion. And, last but not least, I want to thank you, Commissioner Carroll. Thank you. You know, it was only June when myself, the New York Real Estate Chamber and the Black Business Collaborative came to you on behalf of black business owners across New York City. We came to you and many other agency officials. We were concerned. We were concerned, because COVID was impacting 40 percent of Black business businesses across the United States. We were concerned, because when we looked at New York City, we saw that Black businesses were not having equitable access to New York City contracts. When the collaborative came to you, we wanted to see a shift. We wanted New York City contracts to reflect the Black population across the city. We wanted Black developers to have ownership across affordable housing development. We wanted oversight over agency-wide procurement. And, Commissioner, you heard us. So, thank you.
You know, the truth is, challenges for Black businesses did not start with COVID. For far too long, we have been able – not able to have an equitable access across contracts. Every day, I speak to developers and business owners who say, why should I even try to participate and bid when I will be overlooked? Why should I try to access a development team when I may just be leveraged as a M/WBE check? You know, when I look at these things, I understand the concerns. These developers would share that Black businesses hire Black subcontractors, Black developers hire Black subcontractors, who in turn hire Black workforce, who, in turn, come from Black communities – a lot of the communities where affordable housing is being developed.
So, it only makes sense that affordable housing developers look and represent and feel and understand the communities that development is happening in.
You know, to conclude this, I just kind of go back to my story. In 2011, I founded R.F. Wilkins Consultants. At that time, I had no money. I had no relationships. I had very limited access. Today, we hire a diverse community of people. Mayor, you just talked about the New York story, and the New York story has been my story. Not only do we have hire a diverse community of people, but we have implemented some of the most difficult logistic project management and compliance projects across the State of New York. Every day is difficult, but I truly stand on the back of the Black business owners who came before me. Today is not only about contracts, it's about nourishing the Black ecosystem. It's about nourishing Black businesses and activating the next generation of leaders who will hopefully see more Black businesses, more Black business participation. There's still so much more to do, but we have business owners who are ready for a piece of the economic pie. We have a forward-thinking Mayor. We have agency commissioners, like you, Commissioner Carroll, who will ensure that Black businesses are not lost in the implementation of M/WBE programs. Every step towards equitable participation for Black businesses, every step towards acknowledging the disparity – and the disparity Every step towards supporting Black business growth is a step in the right direction. So, Mr. Mayor, thank you, thank you, thank you for your commitment. And we look forward to partnering with you in the future and continuing to support the growth of Black businesses.
Mayor: Thank you. Thank you so much, Francilia. And what a powerful presentation. I can see why you succeeded. And I really appreciate your energy and I appreciate your hopeful message, even in a tough time. But Francilia’s story, another great New York story. It’s a reminder that great story can't just be for some people and then the ladder gets kicked away and others don't get to participate. It has to be for everyone. It has to be for all the generations coming up. And when we actually act with that spirit of fairness and equity, amazing things can happen. And one of the things I felt as I was listening to you was, you were already seeing the future, that we, again, we are going through so much, but we've got to get one foot into the future. And if we do the smart approaches to share the wealth in a better way, a lot more people are going to prosper and it's going to bring this city back a lot stronger. So, thank you for helping us light the way, Francilia.
Okay. Everybody, let's conclude with our indicators and go over these now. First, daily number of people admitted to New York City hospitals for suspected COVID-19, threshold 200 patients – today's report, 115 patients with a 34.45 percent confirmed positivity level. Again, we're watching this really carefully. This is the indicator that has been different than the others. Very concerned, to say the least. Haven't seen as much growth there as expected, that’s a good thing, but we are watching very, very carefully. So far, again, our hospitals are doing quite well handling the challenge. Number two though, is a different matter, new reported cases on a seven-day average, threshold 550 cases – this number just keeps growing and this worries me a lot, 1,255 cases. Now, we want to keep testing everyone. And again, I'm going to constantly remind people get out there and get tested. And that will account for some of the growth of those numbers. But, clearly, the trend goes beyond simply the fact that more and more people are getting tested, got keep a close eye there. And now, the percentage of people tested citywide positive for COVID-19, threshold five percent – today's report, 2.36 percent. Today’s seven-day rolling average 3.01 percent.
Governor Cuomo Urges New Yorkers to Avoid Thanksgiving Gatherings and Travel
Governor Cuomo: "Your safe zone, it's not a safe zone. Your safe zone is dangerous this year."
Cuomo: "This year, if you love someone, it is smarter and better to stay away. As hard as that is to say and hear, because if I had to predict, you're going to see a significant spike post-Thanksgiving."
I've worked on this every single day for 260-plus days. The virus is complicated, but the virus is simple. You know what it is going to do. You know what it is going to do. You know what's going to happen at Thanksgiving. People will travel. People will come together. I am telling you- I will wager you that if people are not extraordinarily diligent and act in a way they've never acted before, you're going to see a very large spike.
The travel is a real problem for us because this state still has the lowest infection, except for Vermont or Maine. If people are coming from Vermont or Maine, they don't pose as much of a risk. If they're coming from anywhere else, they pose a greater risk. It's your family, it's your home, it's your table, these are all environments where you feel safe and that is the beauty of Thanksgiving. I'm at home with my family. I'm in my safe zone. Your safe zone, it's not a safe zone. Your safe zone is dangerous this year. Please- love is sometimes doing what's hard. This year, if you love someone, it is smarter and better to stay away. As hard as that is to say, and hear, because if I had to predict, you're going to see a significant spike post-Thanksgiving. It is then going to run into the Christmas holidays, and you're going to see these numbers go very high.
New York's triggers are some of the most conservative in the country. Our 3 percent, our 4 percent, that's half of California's, most states are already above our triggers. Okay? The overwhelming majority of states are already above our triggers. But, better safe than sorry. And we went through this once before, and we want to minimize the damage, and that's why I'm comfortable with the low triggers. But please, this is not just rhetoric. I am telling you, Thanksgiving, you look at the infection rate, 5, 6, 7, 8 days after Thanksgiving, it will be up. You'll then be in early December. Early December, I'll meet you for a Christmas drink, let's celebrate Hannukah, let's get together, celebrate end of year, 2020 is ending, it was the worst year in my life, let's get together and have a drink, and you're going to see a further spike.
From here to January is very dangerous. A vaccine is on the way. Not in any timeframe that is going to make a difference to the immediate future.
MAYOR DE BLASIO AND TASKFORCE ON RACIAL EQUITY AND INCLUSION ANNOUNCE NEW REQUIREMENT TO GIVE M/WBEs AND NON-PROFITS GREATER OWNERSHIP STAKE IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS BUILT ON CITY-OWNED SITES
Today, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion & Equity introduced a new equitable ownership requirement to strengthen the role of Minority-and-Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs) and non-profits on affordable housing projects developed on City-owned sites. The new equitable ownership requirement, implemented by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), will require that an M/WBE or non-profit partner holds a minimum 25 percent ownership stake in any affordable housing project awarded on public land.
“COVID-19 has exposed longstanding disparities in our society – including economic injustice at the core of the system. New York City is committed to changing that,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “M/WBEs and nonprofit developers deserve a real stake in developing affordable housing, and I’m proud to stand with them as we rebuild a stronger and fairer city.”
“Our City works best and everyone benefits when more people are able to participate in our economy with the support they need, regardless of their gender or ethnicity,” said First Lady Chirlane McCray. “This new directive will help level the playing field for entrepreneurs of color so they can build and grow businesses that strengthen and stabilize our local communities with good-paying jobs, while contributing to the vibrancy of our city.”
“Today is about something simple: giving so many more New Yorkers a real stake in our City, and in our recovery from the COVID-19 crisis,” said Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives J. Phillip Thompson. “This new requirement gives our entrepreneurs of color an opportunity to build, maintain, and operate affordable housing in their own communities – for the people they know best, while creating new jobs and economic growth.”
"Public land is an invaluable asset that must provide New Yorkers with what they most need: affordable housing and economic opportunities," said Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Vicki Been. "As we deliver on our ambitious affordable housing goals, the Equitable Ownership Requirement gives Minority- and Women-Owned Businesses and non-profits a stake in neighborhood development, ensuring that our city's growth is inclusive."
“Businesses of color and mission-driven non-profits are vital employers, service providers, and leaders within our city. Through this new Equitable Ownership Requirement, M/WBE's and non-profits will have a meaningful role and financial stake in reshaping local communities through development. As the City continues to make unprecedented affordable housing investments, this bold new policy will ensure more equitable economic growth and, through diversity, help strengthen the affordable housing industry,” said Sideya Sherman, Executive Director of the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion & Equity and EVP for Community Engagement & Partnerships at NYCHA.
As the City advances its ambitious Housing New York plan with additional funding, strengthening and increasing opportunities for M/WBEs and non-profit developers is a key priority. To date, the Administration has made an unprecedented investment of $6.64 billion in capital to finance 166,000 affordable homes. Moving forward, all Requests for Proposals issued by HPD to develop affordable housing will be subject to the new equitable ownership requirement. Under this new requirement, at least 25 percent of the project’s managing ownership interests must be held by the M/WBE or non-profit development partner, entitling it to at least 25 percent of the total economic benefits of the project, net of any tax credit limited partner interests.
“Under this Administration, we have embraced every opportunity to strengthen our relationships with and increase investments in M/WBEs and non-profit developers that share our deep commitment to the communities we serve,” said Louise Carroll, Commissioner of NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development. “This new requirement gives M/WBEs and non-profits, which usually have deep roots in the communities we serve, a critical ownership stake in the affordable housing work that is essential to our recovery and the creation of a more equitable city.”
“This groundbreaking initiative powerfully demonstrates the Mayor’s commitment to increasing opportunities and participation for M/WBEs”, said Jonnel Doris, Commissioner of NYC Department of Small Business Services and Small Business Sub-committee Co-Chair for the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity. “Strengthening the requirement for M/WBE participation in local development builds on the commitment to grow our economy - by ensuring that communities have a financial stake in the growth of their neighborhoods.”
The new requirement also aligns with the vision of the City’s Where We Live NYC plan to build more integrated, equitable, and inclusive neighborhoods. Where We Live NYC calls for the City to make investments that address segregation, discrimination, and concentrated poverty. The new requirement will help reduce industry barriers for M/WBEs and non-profits, expand and diversify the city’s construction industry, and allow affordable housing spending to serve a greater diversity of New Yorkers. The new requirement will help to support that plan’s goal to accelerate opportunities for mission-based groups to create and preserve community-owned or shared-equity housing.
Ensuring that the development of public land for affordable housing includes meaningful participation from M/WBE and non-profits emerged as a key goal of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Housing Initiative, a community-based planning effort started in 2019. Participants in the initiative emphasized the need for a new policy that recognizes how non-profits and M/WBEs are important partners in ensuring that new investments in affordable housing address local needs. A forthcoming RFP for the development of vacant land in Bed-Stuy will be one of the first projects to incorporate this new requirement.
To date, the City has launched a number of programs to strengthen M/WBEs and non-profits in the City’s development activities, including:
- M/WBE Build Up Program: This program aims to increase contracting opportunities for M/WBEs in the City’s development activities. Through the program, projects receiving more than $2 million in HPD or Housing Development Corporation (HDC) funding are required to spend at least 25 percent of those supported costs on M/WBE services. Since launching in 2017, the program has grown to 179 projects and is expected to generate over $839 million in M/WBE spending. There has been over $600 million in spending to date on MWBE contractors and subcontractors, and the program is on pace to exceed the expected spending.
- Since 2014, HPD’s M/WBE Developer Capacity Buildings Series has trained over 90 emerging M/WBE developers and not-for-profits on how to work on City-financed construction and preservation projects.
- M/WBE RFP: In December 2017, HPD announced the winners of its first ever M/WBE dedicated RFP which contained six public sites. Five of these six projects have now closed, and the sixth is currently going through our financing and ULURP processes This RFP was made possible through state enabling legislation. The second such RFP will be released by spring 2021.
- HPD M/WBE Build Out: This program offers networking and capacity building seminar series for contractors and professional service providers. Now in its fourth year, there have been several on-going quarterly seminars and four large networking events where development partners have recruited contractors for their projects.
NYS Office of the Comptroller DiNapoli: New York Ranks Last In Balance of Payments with Washington
New York leads the nation in what it pays to the federal government compared to what it gets back from Washington, according to a report released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. New York taxpayers paid $23.7 billion more in federal taxes than the state received in federal spending in federal fiscal year 2019.
“In what has become a familiar and troubling story for the Empire State, New Yorkers send significantly more to Washington than we get back,” DiNapoli said. “At a time when the pandemic has shrunk local and state government revenues, shut down businesses and hurt families across New York, it’s never been more critical that we receive much-needed support from the federal government.”
For every tax dollar paid to Washington, the state received $0.91, well below the national average of $1.24. New Jersey is the only state that received less, with a return of $0.82. New Mexico gets the most value at $2.83 per tax dollar paid, followed by Mississippi ($2.50), West Virginia ($2.43), Alabama ($2.17) and Kentucky ($2.05).
New York’s per-capita deficit of $1,216 in its balance of payments ranked 49 among the states. Only New Jersey is higher at $2,450. On the basis of total dollars, rather than dollars per capita, New York’s ranking was last among the states.
The gap between taxes paid and spending received in New York fluctuates from year to year, but has remained consistently negative in analyses of five federal fiscal years by DiNapoli, ranging from $19.9 billion in FFY 2013 up to $40.9 billion in FFY 2016.
As in past years, the imbalance reflects New York’s comparatively high federal tax payments. The state generated over $265 billion, or 8.1 percent, of the $3.3 trillion in federal tax receipts. By contrast, the $241 billion in federal spending the state received represented 5.9 percent of the nationwide total. DiNapoli’s report found:
- New York paid 8.9 percent or nearly $152 billion of the largest federal tax source, the individual income tax.
- The largest of the broad spending categories in the federal budget represents direct payments to or for individuals for a variety of programs such as Social Security, Medicare, benefits for veterans and retired federal employees and food assistance. New York received an estimated $148.1 billion in this category, with a per capita figure that was close to the national average.
- Major programs for which the state received higher-than-average per capita expenditures include Medicare, Medicaid, food assistance and Supplemental Security Income.
- Payments from Washington for federal employee retirement benefits and veterans’ benefits to New Yorkers were lower than average on a per capita basis.
- In the second largest spending category in the federal budget, grants to state and local governments, New York received $73.4 billion and fared better than 48 states on a per capita basis. Medicaid makes up more than half of all federal spending for such grants, and New York’s per capita Medicaid funding from Washington ranked second among the states.
- In two other major categories — procurement and federal employee compensation — federal spending in New York was less than half of the national average on a per capita basis. The state’s combined total in these two areas, $19.9 billion, was 2.4 percent of the nationwide total.
DiNapoli warned that the results of the 2020 Census may affect New York’s and other states’ balance of payments, in both the near and longer terms, as updated population counts influence the state-by-state allocation of funding in certain programs, as well as the size of each state’s Congressional delegation.
Federal funding makes up more than one in every three dollars in New York State’s budget. Stimulus and relief funding that Washington has provided in response to the coronavirus pandemic have been a financial lifeline for well over one million New Yorkers.
DiNapoli said the federal response remains incomplete. The state, its local governments, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and other governmental entities will be forced to cut essential services, raise taxes and fees, and/or push costs to the future by borrowing to close today’s gaps if Washington does not provide additional direct aid.
Report
City Parks Foundation Launches Registration for First Green Girls National Curriculum Training Course
Award-Winning NYC Youth STEM Curriculum Now Available Digitally For Free To Educators Nationwide
City Parks Foundation has launched registration for the first session of the CityParks Green Girls Empowered by ING National Curriculum Training. This national rollout offers educators digital access to the award-winning Green Girls STEM curriculum, which has been adapted from its local, New York City focus, to have a broader, national emphasis on climate change and environmental stewardship through experiential learning in parks and other open spaces. The curriculum is available for use by formal and informal educators. Training will be required in this pilot year and offered online during the spring and summer of 2021 in two sessions; pre-registration is required.
Recently awarded the inaugural Climate Change Award by the National Summer Learning Association, the Green Girls program uses experiential learning in parks, forests and waterways to offer New York City adolescent girls after-school and summer programming that focuses on environmental science, encouraging girls to recognize their potential as scientists and stewards of natural resources. With support from ING, the Green Girls national curriculum will be available for use free of charge, as both an after-school and a summer program. The curriculum focuses on climate change, urban water bodies and forests, and strategies for stewarding and advocating for our essential resources. Also integrated are youth development concepts of self and social awareness encouraging young women to build healthy relationships with each other and their mentors.
Applications are open at cityparksfoundation.org/green-
Educators interested in using the digital curriculum in this pilot year will be required to participate in a two-hour online learning session with City Parks Foundation educators beforehand, as well as a one-on-one consulting session. Participants will also be asked to conduct and share results from a program assessment at the end of the program year. The training will include suggested lesson plans, tips on establishing partnerships, peer mentorship, and advocacy tools to help educators learn how to run a successful program.
Nearly 20 years ago, City Parks Foundation created Green Girls to excite young women in 6th-8th grades about STEM learning. The program transforms local public parklands, forests and waterways into learning laboratories, as Green Girls engage in hands-on experiments and community service. Students learn about a variety of potential careers in the sciences - an industry where over 75% of the workforce is male, and the program also facilitates social-emotional learning at this critical time in a young woman’s development, through discussions, team-building activities focused on female empowerment, individual voice, and self-awareness, aiming to foster healthy relationship development between students.
“We are so thrilled to launch this national training program, particularly now, during a challenging time that demands creative ways to teach our next generation of environmental leaders,” said Chrissy Word, Director of Education at City Parks Foundation. “The goal of this curriculum is to help educate young women to become environmental changemakers, as well as to provide educators innovative tools that will result in meaningful science lessons using parks and open spaces for experiential learning as outdoor classrooms as well as advocacy for and restoration of our natural areas by young women, particularly young women of color.”
“We are very excited to be able to support the Green Girls team in making their award-winning New York program available to educators across the US for the first time,” said Ana Carolina Oliveira, head of sustainable finance, ING Americas. “I’ve had the opportunity to experience the Green Girls program first hand and have seen how it inspires and educates young women to understand our natural environment through an engaging, hands-on curriculum. Opening up this program is an essential step in providing more girls with that opportunity. It is everyone’s responsibility to contribute to the empowerment of the next generation of female leaders and such knowledge will help make impactful change in areas of sustainability and environmental science.”
Committing to providing enriching opportunities for the Green Girls, ING will not only support the program financially, but will offer mentoring workshops and career development insights for program participants. Through one-on-one sessions with ING’s women leaders across the organization, ING aims to show program participants they can turn their passion for science, math, and the environment into a career in the emerging sustainable and green economy.
About City Parks Foundation
At City Parks Foundation, we are dedicated to invigorating and transforming parks into dynamic, vibrant centers of urban life through sports, arts, community building and education programs for all New Yorkers. Our programs -- located in more than 400 parks, recreation centers and public schools across New York City -- reach 310,000 people each year. Our ethos is simple: thriving parks mean thriving communities.
About CityParks Learn
CityParks Learn, our standards-aligned environmental education programs, helps students experience the fun of science, while learning about their relationship to the natural world and the ways in which they can protect our environment. We provide STEM-based environmental science programs for 5,000 elementary, middle, and high school students throughout New York City, through school-day, after school, and summer programming. Also offered are credit-bearing training and paid internships for teenagers as well as teacher training in conducting science lessons using parks as outdoor classrooms.
State Parks Releases Draft Greenway Trails Plan
Recommendations help partners and stakeholders expand the state’s greenway trail network
Development and expansion of greenway trails should target underserved communities
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) today announced the release of the Draft Statewide Greenways Plan/Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS) for review and public comment. This Statewide Greenway Trails Plan provides a vision, goals and recommendations to guide future planning and development of greenway trails, including expanding greenway trails in underserved communities and improving connections between trails and other transportation modes.
“New York State is leading the nation in creating multi-use recreational trails, most notably through the development of the 750-mile Empire State Trail crossing the state, but also through the construction of many new regional and local trails and key connection projects,” State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid said. “The Draft Statewide Greenway Trails plan creates a framework to build on this success and create new trails where they are needed most. It promotes the existing trail network, advocates for new connections in new areas, and establishes goals and recommendations that will help partners and stakeholders expand the state’s greenway trail network. I encourage all who are interested in expanding our trail network to review and comment on this plan.”
The release of the draft plan is the culmination of a year-long effort to develop a comprehensive document addressing New York’s statewide system of non-motorized multi-use trails (Greenway Trails). The plan also includes a GIS inventory of existing, planned, and proposed greenway trails across the state. The Statewide Greenway Trails Plan identifies seven key goals:
- Prioritize the development and expansion of greenway trails in underserved communities.
- Collect and publish information to aid in the planning, development, and management of greenway trails.
- Expand the Greenway Trails System to reach more New Yorkers in more areas.
- Provide funding opportunities for the acquisition, planning, development, and maintenance of greenway trails.
- Foster greater collaboration between agency & stakeholder partners to advance greenway trails in New York.
- Promote the Greenway Trails System as a destination for tourism, healthy recreation, and active lifestyles.
- Enhance bicycle and pedestrian transportation options by connecting greenway trails and communities.
The Draft Plan and associated trail inventory is available for review at: https://parks.ny.gov/inside-
State Parks will hold an online public hearing to receive comments on the Draft Plan and Draft GEIS. Public hearing will be held at: 6:00 p.m., Jan. 6, 2021 before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) via electronic webinar.
Instructions on how to “join” the hearing webinar and provide an oral statement are published in the DEC’s electronic Environmental Notice Bulletin (ENB) and posted on OPRHP’s website. The DEC’s ENB may be accessed at https://www.dec.ny.gov/enb/
Interpreter services for hearing impaired persons or persons with limited English proficiency will be provided at no charge upon written request submitted no later than December 23, 2020. The written request must be addressed to Chief ALJ James T. McClymonds, NYS DEC Office of Hearings and Mediation Services, 625 Broadway, 1st Floor, Albany, NY 12233-1550 or emailed to Chief ALJ McClymonds at ohms@dec.ny.gov.
Following the public hearing and public comment period, OPRHP will prepare and post a Final Statewide Greenway Trails Plan/FGEIS incorporating substantive comments.